Grant County Weed Board approves 2026 budget, questions commissioners' handling of process

The Grant County Weed Board on Sept. 16 approved its 2026 budget and accepted the treasurer’s financial report at a meeting in the Carson courthouse.

Merlin Leithold, the board’s weed officer and secretary, reported a fund balance of about $96,362 before bills, said tonight’s bills totaled $1,182.31, and reported income received tonight of $5,033.56. He also provided August totals: bills of $13,093.25 and income of $27,134.37. Vendor bills presented included WRT (phone) for $85.90 and Cenex Fleet Fueling (gas) for $394.41; board salaries for the period were recorded as Leonard Gerhardt $119.80, Dick Woodbury $80.60, Walker Sabin $118.40, Justin Vetter $108.60, Denis Tibor $145.00 and Drew Gaugler $129.60.

Walker Sabin moved to accept the treasurer’s report and pay the bills; Denis Tibor seconded and the motion carried. The board then approved the 2026 budget "basically as we approved it, with some minor changes to withholding, etc.," Leithold said. He also criticized how the county commissioners handled the process, saying, "the way that the commissioners worked on the budget was kind of screwed up." No response from the commissioners is recorded in the minutes.

Why it matters: the approved budget and the fund balance govern the weed-control program’s operations, including chemical purchases, spraying contracts and staff pay. The treasurer’s report and the board-approved budget set the fiscal framework for 2026 operations.

The board scheduled its next meeting for Oct. 30, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. MDT at the courthouse in Carson. The meeting adjourned at 8:48 p.m.